A destructive EF2 tornado hit

Billings, Montana Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Met ...

on Sunday, June 20, 2010 (

Father's Day Father's Day is a holiday of honoring fatherhood and paternal bonds, as well as the influence of fathers in society. In Catholic countries of Europe, it has been celebrated on 19 March as Saint Joseph's Day since the Middle Ages. In the Unite ...

). Known as the 2010 Father's Day tornado, the strong tornado was on the ground for about 12 minutes and took the roof off the

Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark First Interstate Arena (colloquially known as The Metra) is a multi-purpose arena located at MetraPark, the fairgrounds of Billings, Montana. The arena has a capacity of 8,700 for ice hockey and indoor football games, 10,500 for basketball, and u ...

, a 10,000 seat arena, and heavily damaged numerous businesses. The storm was accompanied by high winds and a major hail storm that caused severe damage and flash flooding in the Heights section of the city. It was the first time since

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

that a significant tornado struck the Downtown Billings area.

Synopsis and tornado event

An unsettled pattern continued across a large part of the US, with widespread isolated tornadoes across various parts of the Plains states. The most notable tornado touched down in Billings, Montana at the MetraPark trade facility. Damage was significant, including a large section of the roof being removed at the

. The

Storm Prediction Center The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) is a US government agency that is part of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), operating under the control of the National Weather Service (NWS), which in turn is part of the National Oceani ...

Norman, Oklahoma Norman () is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,097 as of 2021. It is the largest city and the county seat of Cleveland County, and the second-largest city in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, b ...

had issued a

severe thunderstorm watch A severe thunderstorm watch ( SAME code: SVA) is a severe weather watch product issued by regional offices of weather forecasting agencies throughout the world when meteorological conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunders ...

for south-central Montana, including

Yellowstone County Yellowstone County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 164,731. Its county seat is Billings. Yellowstone County is named for the Yellowstone River which roughly bisects the county ...

, at 1:55 pm CDT on June 20, in anticipation of active severe weather throughout the region. Strong southwesterly flow aloft combined with a moderately unstable air mass created conditions favorable for producing severe thunderstorms, and potentially tornadoes. A supercell thunderstorm moved through the Billings area in the late afternoon. At approximately 4:24 pm MDT, a tornado touched down near the intersection of Lake Elmo drive and Main Street. It damaged several buildings, including tearing roofs off of multiple structures. It also downed several power poles and billboards, and uprooted multiple trees. The tornado moved south, where it struck the Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark, tearing off a large portion of the roof and doing nearly $27 million worth of damage to the arena. The tornado lofted debris and deposited it as far as one mile from the damage path. After approximately 12 minutes on the ground, the tornado dissipated over the arena. The storm then moved northeast, producing numerous funnel clouds, but no further touchdowns.

Aftermath

The damage survey revealed damage from the tornado consistent with wind speeds of , garnering a rating of EF2. It was the strongest tornado to strike the Billings area in over 50 years. Despite the major damage in the urban area, only some minor injuries were reported.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2010-06-20 Billings tornado Billings tornado Billings, Montana Natural disasters in Montana

Billings Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Met ...

2010 in Montana Billings tornado Tornadoes in Montana

Synopsis and tornado event

Aftermath

See also

References